Portugal : BFGoodrich - Preview IIAhead of the second gravel WRC event of the season, BFGoodrich explain the tyre preparation and look ahead to the fifth round of the championship...
Quotas
Priority drivers have a maximum quota of 60 tyres of which they will be
able to use a maximum of 40 (rally + shakedown). These tyres were registered with the FIA on Friday March 23.
Quotas 2
The previous day (March 22) was the deadline for the nomination of tyres for the Rally Argentina (May 3-6). The 700 tyres for this event will be trucked to the French port of Le Havre from where they will be shipped to Buenos Aires on the 'Monte Rosa'.
Testing banned in Portugal
Even though the Portuguese round takes place on mainland Europe, it is considered to be a long-haul fixture regarding testing which is consequently banned in the country before the event. The works teams therefore did their testing in Spain. The week before the start saw the Stobart VK M-Sport drivers test near the Spanish city of Seville.
Recce
Two BFGoodrich technicians travelled to the Algarve in March to recce the new rally's stages and look at the types of surface competitors will find. They reported the stages to be hard packed underneath a top-coating of loose gravel. The first drivers into the stages face the handicapping prospect of 'sweeping duty' first time through, while the second passes promise to be tough on the tyres.
Memory Lane
The last Rally de Portugal to count towards the WRC was in 2001 and was won by Tommi Mäkinen (Mitsubishi) after a fierce fight with Carlos Sainz. The appallingly wet conditions led the Michelin Group's technicians to pioneer a new re-cutting technique which went on to play a decisive role in the Finn's victory. The same technique was employed during last year's Rally of Turkey.
Prior knowledge
Although the stages are new to Loeb, Grönholm and Solberg, Mikko Hirvonen (2nd in 2005), Dani Sordo (5th o/a and 1st S1600 in 2005; zero car in 2006) and Daniel Carlsson (1st in 2005, 4th in 2006) have already contested the majority of this year's tests.
Father and Son
Markku Alen holds the record for the highest number of wins in Portugal, all with Italian cars. This year, his son Anton, 23, will be competing on the event for the very first time driving a… Fiat Punto S2000.
One to watch
Armindo Araujo, three-time previous winner of the event and reigning Portuguese Champion, will drive a Mitsubishi Lancer WRC/BFGoodrich. The Portuguese driver is registered for the 2007 P-WRC with a Mitsubishi (4th in Sweden).
Source BFGoodrich
